University of South Florida Scholar Commons Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate School 6-26-2007 An Urban Model of Applied Preservation David Stewart Barksdale Butler University of South Florida Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd Part of the American Studies Commons Scholar Commons Citation Butler, David Stewart Barksdale, "An Urban Model of Applied Preservation" (2007). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/650 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. An Urban Model of Applied Preservation by David Stewart Barksdale Butler A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Anthropology College of Arts and Sciences University of South Florida Major Professor: Susan Greenbaum, Ph.D. Brent Weisman, Ph.D. Antionnette Jackson, Ph.D. Bob Brinkmann, Ph.D. Barbara Shircliffe, Ph.D. Date of Approval: June 26, 2007 Keywords: applied anthropology, urban anthropology, urban archaeology, advocacy, action research, historic preservation © Copyright 2007, David Stewart Barksdale Butler Table of Contents List of Tables ..................................................................................................................... iii List of Figures.................................................................................................................... iv Abstract................................................................................................................................v Chapter One: Introduction ...................................................................................................1 Historical Context of the Study Area: Historic Change and African American Education............................................................................................8 Tampa History and African American Education .................................................13 Chapter Two: Urban Landscape Change: Considering the Practice of Urban Archaeology Through the Lens of Perry Harvey Park..................................................22 Urban Archaeology and UMAP.............................................................................22 What is Urban Archaeology?.................................................................................23 The Temporal Context of Urban Archaeology in U.S. Cities................................23 Categories of Urban Archaeological Evidence Considered...................................27 Urban Archaeological Practice at Perry Harvey Park............................................29 Local Informants and Urban Archaeology ............................................................33 Urban Archaeology and the Holistic Approach.....................................................34 Chapter Three: Investigating Material Symbols of African American Culture and Heritage in Tampa, Florida – A Case Study 37 Cultural Heritage and the Urban Landscape 38 Temporal Context and Representation of African American Cultural Heritage Sites 40 Urban Renewal and Altered Landscapes 45 Gentrification and Urban Change 51 Cultural Heritage and Historic Designation 54 Historic Designation Versus Historic Preservation: the Tampa Case Study 61 Evolving Urban Landscapes Considered 65 Urban Change and Equitable Historical Representation Considered 70 Chapter Four: Taking a Stand . Prioritizing Meacham Elementary through Practice: Anthropological Advocacy, Participatory Action Research, and Historic Designation .....................................................................................................76 Anthropological Advocacy and Ethics ..................................................................76 Advocacy and Action Oriented Anthropological Practice.....................................80 Participatory Action Research ...............................................................................83 i Action Research and African American Cultural Heritage in Tampa ...................84 The Historic Status of Cultural Heritage: Justifying State and Federal Recognition of Meacham Elementary...............................................................88 Chapter Five: Lessons Learned: Contested Urban Space and Cultural Heritage ............111 An Urban Model of Applied Preservation...........................................................119 Summarizing the Proposed Model.......................................................................123 References........................................................................................................................131 Appendices.......................................................................................................................145 Appendix A: Summary Descriptions of Historic Districts in Tampa..................146 Appendix B: City of Tampa Local Historic Landmarks......................................148 Appendix C: City of Tampa Local Historic Districts ..........................................151 Appendix D: National Register of Historic Places Sites in Tampa .....................152 Appendix E: National Register of Historic Places Districts in Tampa................155 About the Author ................................................................................................... End Page ii List of Tables Table 1. National Register of Historic Places Areas of Significance 57 Table 2. Ethnic Affiliation as Indicated on Florida State Historic Structure Forms 74 iii List of Figures Figure 1. State of Florida Depicting Study Location 1 Figure 2. Aerial Image Depicting Local Context of Study 6 Figure 3. Harlem Academy Class Photo with Christina Meacham 7 Figure 4. Street Map Depicting Meacham Elementary Location 13 Figure 5. Aerial Image Depicting Meacham Elementary and Perry Harvey Park Indicating Locations Relative to Interstate 275, Tampa’s Downtown Business District, and Ybor City 77 Figure 6. Representative Photo of Meacham Elementary Advocacy Group 85 Figure 7. Meacham Elementary 88 Figure 8. Streetscape: Looking East on May Street 89 Figure 9. Topographic Map Depicting Meacham Elementary Location 92 iv An Urban Model of Applied Preservation David Stewart Barksdale Butler ABSTRACT This research prioritized the identification and retention of African American cultural heritage in the face of dramatic landscape alteration associated with comprehensive redevelopment. As an approach aimed at providing the most comprehensive understanding of cultural phenomenon, the holistic tradition applied by anthropology asserts that it is productive to identify and apply as many sources of data toward engaging research as is possible. Consistent with this goal, this study applied several categories of data toward investigating material symbols of African American cultural heritage in Tampa, Florida. The holistic anthropological approach demonstrated the relevance and complementarity of research documenting cultural heritage and its relationship to Tampa’s contemporary urban landscape, urban archaeology, participatory research, anthropological advocacy, and historic designation and preservation research in a community threatened by large-scale redevelopment. Tampa represented a fruitful context for this research because for the second time in less than forty years, the urban landscape historically associated with African Americans in Tampa is slated to be impacted by wide-ranging demolition resulting from the actions of city and county planners. This research is particularly important in Tampa because urban policy carried out in this area of Tampa during the 1970’s eradicated the v vast majority of physical reminders of the African American cultural heritage in Tampa. This research proposes that even in the face of dramatic demolition resulting in comprehensive change in urban landscapes, anthropologists have an obligation to prioritize material symbols of cultural heritage which in this context represent enduring evidence of African American cultural heritage in Tampa. Collectively the components of this study represent an anthropological model defined as an Urban Model of Applied Preservation (UMAP) designed to facilitate the anthropological engagement of evolving relationships between urban spaces and their cultural associations with urban populations. This model clarifies a set of complementary methods that might be applied toward investigation prioritizing the effects of urban change on cultural heritage. vi Chapter One: Introduction This study clarifies a set of complementary methods utilized to investigate historical and contemporary trends in urban landscape alteration potentially affecting cultural heritage preservation and representation. Consequently, a model was Figure 1. State of Florida Depicting Study Location developed as a framework clarifying this approach. This model (outlined in chapter five) was formalized as an Urban Model of Applied Preservation (UMAP) intended to be applied at the city level to augment the anthropological analysis of cultural heritage retention and suppression through time and across urban space. This research facilitated the formation of this model which identified and utilized research strategies such as urban archaeology (as a method applied toward recovering and analyzing material